Tag Archives: hip-hop

KMT, a London-based hip-hop artist and DJ is using his musical powers for good by running youth workshops in which he teaches on the subjects of lyric writing and the like, but also brings in more overarching issues such as racial cohesion and sustainable living. He says music is a messenger, a tool with which education and positivity can be encouraged.

He has been working in his field for over 12 years, with international audiences. You can read an interview with him with Positive News here. (I also give them credit for the above photo – it certainly does not belong to me).

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This story has got me thinking about how the youth population can be engaged in the issues of today and the task of creating a more sustainable future for this world. It’s sad but true that I am very much in some kind of minority group, caring as I do about these things and being an 18 year old girl. Most teenagers, for whatever reason, just don’t particularly care. I find this very worrying to be honest. But with our infamous rebellious nature, our tantrums and our misunderstood ways, it’s hard to get us to do anything.

In my town’s transition group for example, I’m the only member below their mid twenties, making me feel it’s somehow my job to reel in more youthful involvement. But I’m really not sure how to reach out to my peers in a way they’ll enjoy. KMT seems to gain respect, possibly because a successful black hip-hop artist with a heart is (with good reason) one of society’s favourite personifications of Cool. And it is true that music is a powerful way to get across a point, slicker than any powerpoint presentation has any hope of being. I also remember reading that pretty much the only thing Transition Totnes did for youth involvement was a music festival. Maybe this is the key to our hearts.